A Raven's Home
by SardonicEffigy
Summary: Taiyang hadn't seen Raven in years, decades even. Quite frankly, he wasn't sure he wanted to, but it seemed Raven had returned home nonetheless.


**Authors Note: I have returned… five months later… yikes. Anyways, enjoy this story as an attempt to appease the anger at absence. **

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It was a cool day, the gentle breeze blowing through the trees causing them to sway back and forth. The peaceful silence of the outdoors serving as an excellent relaxant.

Tai looked down at the flower bed he had been tending, allowing himself to take some small pride. It wasn't anything special really, nothing grand or exotic, but it was something he had made. Something he had helped to nurture and grow, and because of his work it grew into something beautiful.

He didn't take pride in his effort however, nor how it made the front of the house look more like a home instead of a cabin in the woods. He took pride in how well it had grown, in how far it had come from when he had first planted them.

There was a soft sound on the wind, causing Tai to turn in its direction.

It took him a moment to see anything out of the ordinary. There was only one thing that hadn't been there a moment before.

A feather slowly drifting to the ground.

It didn't take him but a second to realise what it was.

He had felt something strange, a feeling he had almost forgotten, but the realization was there nonetheless. Her semblance always had a strange feeling when she used it, a slight pull on ones very being… he hadn't felt it in years.

Thoughts wared in his mind. _She wouldn't, not now. After all these years, why would she? _

_He had to be mistaken, over analysing a small thing and blowing it out of proportion._

_He had to be…_

In the end, however, he knew.

He had once hoped to see her return, he had wanted it more than anything in the world at one time. That feeling had long since left however, being replaced by something else.

A part of him wanted to see her, he always had, if for no other reason than to get answers. It seemed he would finally have his chance.

Anger built up inside him, as he turned away from the house, staring into the woods waiting.

Raven had always been a direct and rather blunt woman, prefering to directly confront someone with her issues as soon as the person seemed to care… at least on most occasions. She had come here of her own choice, meaning she had finally come to confront him.

He had no plans of going after her, he had given up on such ventures years ago. If she wanted to talk, it would be on his terms for once.

And so Taiyang Xiao Long continued to wait, he had nothing but time these days.

The birds chirped, the wind blew, and Tai waited as he always had.

Time went by and he continued to wait. The sun began to dip lower in the sky, he wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed but he knew he only had about half an hour of good daylight left.

She must have been playing with him, a cruel fact that didn't surprise him in the least.

With a sigh of frustration he set off. He didn't know where he was going, not having any real reference for where she might have gone, but he refused to be forced to wait any longer.

"What was the point of coming here?!" He yelled out into the forest. His question going unanswered by anything more than the rustling of leaves and branches.

_Why would you come back if not to speak to me?_

Tai thought carefully, he knew Raven or at least he thought he had once, and so he tried to piece together what she might be thinking.

He walked through the forest, watching the shadows for the woman he once loved. In the end, he saw nothing but darkness and trees.

He spoke softly. "Why would you come back…" Then a thought dawned on him.

With anger still in his heart he changed his course. He knew where she was.

Tai followed the trail up the hill. The farther up he went the more his anger seemed to grow, and why shouldn't he be angry?

He had every right to be angry at her, she had left him, left her daughter, lied to all of them, tricked him into playing the part of the fool.

Yes, he had every right to be angry, but the farther up he went the more he began to think. What was he going to say?

That thought had him slow for a moment, his determination losing some of its resolve.

For years he had dreamed of this encounter. However, he had never really thought of what he would say.

He would demand answers, sure, but what he would actually say? He didn't know, but he was certain he would know in the moment… he would have to.

With no plan, and anger in his heart, Tai pushed reason to the side and carried on.

The tree line gave way a few minutes later, revealing a small grassy field leading to a cliff side.

The sudden drop off revealing a scene of both beauty and deep sorrow. The sun had begun to dip below the horizon, casting a golden glow through the leaves. The wind whipped the trees, rustling the leaves, and serving to mask his approach for a time.

Tai felt the breeze on his face, closing his eyes he took a deep breath opening them a moment later, before stepping into the grassy opening.

Stood in the open, near the edge of the cliff, was the woman he once loved. The mother of his eldest daughter… sat next to the mother of his youngest.

The scene made him hesitate for a moment. This could have very well been Raven's first visit to Summer's grave.

No matter what had happened, no matter what Raven did, the memories of their time at Beacon were still there. Summer and Raven had been, and perhaps always would be, partners. Teammates. Comrades… maybe even sisters once.

It was hard to say.

Tai pushed his pity aside, he wasn't going to let her take this from him as well. She was in the wrong, not to be pitied. She had had years to mourn like the rest of them, she had always been closed off and distant, he doubted she even felt anything for her former partner.

Raven knew he was there, it would have been impossible for her not to. Even if it weren't for her hunter training, or her upbringing, she had always been more perceptive than anyone he had come to know over the years.

She didn't turn to look at him, eyes fixated on the gravestone.

The silence drug on longer than it had any right to, as the lack of words finally caught up to him.

He racked his mind in anger, attempting to think of what to say. In the end all he could do was grit his teeth and clench his fist.

Tai struggled to keep his emotions in check, knowing how his anger would be palpable in his voice as he spoke. "Why are you here?" It took him a moment to process that he had spoken, and a second more to realize just how filled with anger and hatred his voice really was.

Raven turned away from the gravestone, shifting her gaze out over the cliff. For the longest time it seemed like she wouldn't answer, but finally she spoke.

"It has been a very long time." Her voice seemed to be as neutral as ever. "I wanted to see an old friend." She glanced over her shoulder at the gravestone.

Tai responded swiftly, catching both of them off guard with the level of emotion in his voice. "So that's it huh?" He paused for a moment. "Nothing else?"

She looked back out over the cliff, blocking any facial expression she may have had.

"You have every right to be angry with me." In the end, she only said what he already knew. "And for th-"

He refused to have it. "That's what you say?! After all these years?!" He struggled to keep his voice from breaking under the volume. "You left us, your daughter, Summer, Qrow, everyone!"

He wasn't sure where the words were coming from but they flowed out quickly.

"...You left me." He brought his volume back to a reasonable level. "And you never even bothered to tell me why."

Raven turned around slowly and for the first time in years Tai came face to face with his first wife. "Tai…" She refused to meet his eyes, and turned back to the gravestone. The silence all the more profound due to how loud it had been a moment before.

In the end, it wasn't him to break the silence. "She deserved something grander."

The words caught him unprepared and he stumbled in his own mind, allowing her to continue.

"The view is nice, but she deserved so much more…"

Raven had always been closed off, never allowing emotion or care to slip out. It had been one of the things he had come to simply accept about her. This conversation was very much not her however.

For the first time since he saw her Tai looked at her, truly looked, and what he saw painted a very different picture than the Raven he knew.

Her form was stiff, rigid, and on edge. She had never been one to relax but she had always projected an air of confidence that made her seem… larger than life, and intimidating at times. It was an effect of her upbringing, something so ingrained in her that she rarely knew she was doing it.

The woman he looked on had none of that however, and Tai's anger began to lessen.

"She deserved to live a long life with her daughters… both of them." Tai continued to try and understand the words, staying silent as she went on. "She should have been known by all the people of Vale for her courage… she was the perfect example of what a hunter should strive to be…"

The words continued to flow, and Tai could hardly process them.

Raven had a pessimistic view point at the best of times. Her view on hunters would never have been called 'in line' with the everyday citizen. Her and Summer often butted heads with one another over the philosophy of their situation.

"She deserved a statue and a page in the history books…" Raven's voice cracked. "She was a _hero_."

Tai's heart broke slightly, he knew that sound. Yang had gotten many things from her mother. She was smart, strong, beautiful, a free spirit. She had this little thing she did when she was sad, a deep sadness that stretched to the depths of her heart, and it always started with a small and subtle breakdown. A sound Tai had come to know from Yang, never Raven.

She simply didn't feel that kind of emotion.

Tai took a few steps forward, which Raven seemed to miss in her current state.

Raven continued on. "She didn't deserve to be brought into all of this." Another step. "She could have lived a normal life with her family but instead…"

Tai reached out to lay a hand on Ravens shoulder from behind, causing her to flinch and grab for her sword. He had no intention of fighting however.

He pulled her in close, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

He could feel the tension and unease in her muscles, the uncertainty about what to do. It seemed that some things truly never changed. She had never known how to handle affection of any kind.

He spoke softly. "She never spoke poorly of you." He couldn't see Ravens face but knew she could hear the words. "She never hated you for leaving, she never blamed you either."

It had taken years for Tai to accept that, and it had taken him until now to understand it.

"She loved you as her sister… all the way to the end." Raven shook in his arms.

"You… she…" Raven tried to pull away but Tai refused to let her. "Why aren't you angry?" her voice, thick with an emotion he had never seen Raven show, trembled as she spoke. "You… you should be furious with me."

Tai turned her around and pulled her in closer, resting his head next to hers.

"Why aren't you yelling!?" She tried to pull away once more but he refused to let her. Had she truly wanted to get away she could have. "How can you just forgi-" He interrupted her words with a kiss.

Tai had loved Raven, truly loved her. Their relationship had always been one of passion, it had been... amazing.

When she left it had broken him, and Summer had been there to pick up the pieces. He had loved her as well, but it had never been the same.

He loved Summer so much but…

He pulled his head back slowly, Raven following for a moment to try and make the kiss last just a moment longer. She looked up slightly into his face, allowing him to look into hers.

A single tear fell down her face and he pulled her in closer.

He couldn't find the words to say, so he held her close.

Raven slowly sunk into him, relying on him to hold her up as time went on. He ignored it, simply holding her. He ignored the soft sobbs that came after, or the damp spot he knew was forming on his shirt.

He simply held her close because even after all these years he couldn't bring himself to hate her. Raven was complicated, troubled, and difficult but… She could be so much more.

His heart ached as his eyes shifted over to Summers grave. Would she be mad? Would she hate them for it?

He knew she wouldn't, in the end she would smile and be happy that her friends were happy. Maybe even happy that he might finally have started to truly heal.

A subtle look to the woman currently holding onto him just as much as he was her, affirmed this.

They were both broken, but together they might be whole. He pulled away slightly, but kept Raven in his grasp, letting her know he wasn't going to leave.

He spoke softly. "Let's go home."

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**Author's Note: That was a little harder than I remember… or I might be rusty… probably one of those. **

**But on a real note, I am rusty. This is an attempt to get back into writing before I start anything big, like the sequel to A Simple Bet.. which is coming, I just don't know when yet. **

**I'm trying some new things out with my writing process, a little bit more self editing and less reliance on editors. Make no mistake my main guys are still here but life is busy nowadays, they have their own things to do after all. Not fair to demand their help all the time. My really good editor, the one who basically helps change these stories from fanfictions to actual stories with good quality, is too busy to help these days sadly. **

**Hopefully this new editing style will really help improve the quality of writing and maybe even make the editing process a small bit faster, albeit more tedious. **

**Let me know your thoughts on this one off and any critiques (seriously need these so I can whip myself back into shape).**

**As always I hope you enjoyed and invite you to review. **

**Sincerely SardonicEffigy **


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